Consequencial Descisions
by Midnite OniHime
Summary: When Vegeta decides to mate with a flighty hybrid, neither consider the consequences...until they come back to bite them. how will they handle being bonded?
1. Discoveries

**A/N: Heya guys!!! Here's another story from my warped imagination! This Story falls under the Fallen Angels' Hideout umbrella. **

**Title: Consequencial Descisions**

**Rating: M (for a reason! no lemon in this chapter guys, thats the next one!)**

**Warnings: language, violence, erm...illicit dancing, wilfull provocation of a certain Prince. I think that about covers it.**

**MN: dear kami... I can't believe you wenches are posting this...  
MERLA: Aww, comeon MN... it's a good story. and it teaches a lesson... sortof.  
UNI: I can't believe I helped with this.  
MN: scowls just get it over with before I change my mind...  
MN + UNI: XD right... on with the story.**

XxXxXxX

MN: grabs keys and jacket cheers, I'm outta here!

MERLA: Midnite! Wait, where are you going? It's eleven at night! Oh my Kami, what the hell are you wearing?

MN: Looks down at black leather mini, tank top, knee-high boots, leggings and jacket I have no Idea what you're talking about. Cheers! Walks over to bike and takes off.

MERLA: looks at front door bloody hell…. Hm, what am I going to do now? Uni's at the lookout again… smirks hey, I can go visit Trunks-kun! IT

-**at Capsule Corp-**

Vegeta: senses MN's Ki raised /now what is that human brat up to?/

Trunks: Hey 'geta, why the scowl?

Vegeta/If I have to stay in here alone with him and that bird of his I'm going to blast something./ I'm going out.

Trunks: In that? eyes Vegeta's training suit you going anywhere near humans?

Vegeta: smirks Of course not. I'm going to change.

Trunks: you mean you actually own clothes?

Vegeta: of course brat. groans as doorbell rings I'm going.

**-somewhere outside a club at the edge of a city-**

Midnite groaned as the bouncer looked her up and down, grinning like the idiot he was.

"So, Kitty, doing the biker act tonight? Danger looks good on you."

"Oh go wank Dean, you know my shifts never start till one. I'm here purely as a patron tonight."

"whatever you say hon, but you know Clyde'll try and get you up on stage." Midnite sighed, tucking a strand of black and red hair behind her ear as she passed Dean. Yeah, she knew alright.

Midnite walked to the bar, but before she even got there some idiot bumped into her and spilled his drink all over her. she growled and hooked him on the jaw, walking away before he'd finished spinning.

"great." She muttered, the potent smell of rum permeating her nostrils. "just my friggin luck." She headed for the restroom, pushing her way through the mass of undulating bodies on the dance floor. Once inside she hastily stripped the top and zipped up her jacket. It was too tight around the waist, accentuating her hips and pushing her cleavage to the max. "oh bugger." She groaned, now she'd never get the bastards out there to stop making passes at her… "hm… I can always wash it and use Ki to dry it… provided no-one comes in here."

She quickly set about washing the smell of rum from the top, and had just put it on, about to dry it, when a girl and two guys stumbled in, the guys had their hands all over the girl in a way that instantly made Midnite's hackles rise. The girl stared at her blankly, her eyes wide and glazed, she was probably so high she didn't even know her own name.

"Well looky-here Mick, Looks like we have ourselves another prize tonight." Midnite growled as the taller of the two swaggered towards her.

"Sorry bud, but you're not my type." She commented in a bored tone, even as her mind was racing. She could take these two pin-brains out easily if she wanted, but that would mean raising her Ki, and she didn't want to damage anything, she happened to like her job.

"Aw, that's not nice sugar," her blood instantly boiled at the pet name and all thoughts of her job were abandoned as her power level started rising.

"Don't you dare call me that you worthless fucking worm," The guys' expressions darkened as they advanced slowly.

"you foulmouthed bitch, you oughta learn some manners."

/Midnite, are you-?/ Merla's concerned voice filtered into Midnite's mind, but she cut her off.

/I'm fine, butt out./ aloud she said, "Oh, and you think you're going to be the one to teach me? Bring it on Bakayarou!"

The first guy lunged at her and she easily dodged the attack, just as the other, Mick, made a move to hit her, she grabbed his fist and used his own momentum against him, flipping him over her shoulder and into the guy behind her, sending them both to the floor. Mick was the first to jump up and have another go at her, she dropped down into a crouch, knocking his legs from under him. As he tipped forward she lifted up, catching the back fo his head in her right hand she hit his face into the tiles, grimacing as she heard bones crunch. He didn't get up again.

Midnite looked up to see the first guy standing over her, ready to strike. She watched the fist come towards her, but before she could react, a blur of movement sent the guy sprawling across the tiled floor and into the tiled wall. Midnite watched, wide-eyed as Vegeta walked over to where the guy was trying to sit up.

"Did no-one ever tell you it is rude to hit a woman?" he asked, just before punching the guy flat on the nose, knocking him out cold.

Only when Vegeta turned back to her, arms folded and a arrogant smirk plastered on his face did Midnite realize that she was staring. She rose fluidly and stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked haughtily.

Vegeta's eyes widened at the sight in front of him. He slowly took in Midnite's appearance, the boots, thick rubber soles, that allowed for silent footsteps, the lycra leggings, leather that was way too short to be considered a skirt, her hair which had been in a clip now had strands hanging loose, her face flushed in anger, dark lips curled in a angry sneer, and finally the blood-red top that, still wet, clung to _every_ curve, highlighting the fact that Midnite had forgone a certain item of clothing and making his throat suddenly dry. He mentally shook himself and scowled at her angrily.

"You might want to look in the mirror, baka." He growled.

Midnite looked at him blankly before turning her head to look into the basin mirror.

/oh _fuck_…/she groaned mentally, blushing deeply as she realized that her shirt was still soaked. She hurriedly ducked her head to hide it, noting Vegeta's smirk and focused her Ki on drying her shirt, when it was completely dry she stood up straight, combed a hand through her hair, and shrugged on her jacket over the accursed silk strap top that she'd decided to wear, before turning her back to the prince and, scowling, walked out of the room. She didn't need to look back to know that he was following her, she could feel his eyes on her. she made her way back to the bar, and ordered a double Vodka and lemonade.

"you drinking?" she threw over her shoulder at Vegeta, who's expression darkened at her tone. He gave her a curt nod, thinking that he should have let the bastard hit her, and she ordered another for him.

By the time the drinks were poured, they were both sitting at the bar, pointedly ignoring each other, and watching the live band play on stage, professional dancers dancing on either side. Not, strippers, like most clubs in the area, but actual dancers, that moved like water to the music.

Midnite was about halfway through her drink when her boss, Clyde found her.

"Kitty!" he called crossly as soon as he was close enough to hear, Vegeta arched a eyebrow at the name but didn't comment. "You left a mess in the bathroom. Poor Jenna was worried you'd killed those two boys!" Contradictory to his cross tone, Clyde smiled at her and put his arms around her, giving her a sound kiss. Vegeta felt his pulse jump as she put her arms around him and kissed him back.

Vegeta had to stop himself ripping the guy's throat out as he pulled away, purring. "Dance with me Darling." He said, pulling Midnite off her chair and to the edge of the crowd, well within Vegeta's sight, and they started moving to the music. Vegeta's fist clenched before he caught himself. What the hell was wrong with him? He growled and took a gulp of the drink, keeping his eyes fixed on Midnite, grinding to the music.

"So who's the boyfriend?" Clyde asked in Midnite's ear as he pulled her close against him.

"He's not my boyfriend. He's my future brother-in-law's father. You should know me by now." Clyde chuckled.

"That I should. So what happened to the two in the bathroom? Let me guess, they didn't get the meaning of 'no'. right?" Midnite nodded sheepishly, "Kitten, what on earth am I going to do with you? You do know that you owe me for this now, right?" Midnite pouted at him.

"Please don't tell me tonight." She begged him. But she could see by the glint in his eyes that that was exactly what he was going to tell her. she looked up at the stage. Great. The band was young, dressed in dark clothes or leather. She gave him one last pleading look, but when he only grinned she sighed. "Okay, fine. You want a bat you got a bat." His grin widened and he kissed her again.

"Great. You're up next."

"What?!" she yelped, but he was already dragging her back to the bar.

"Drink up sweetheart." He ordered, handing her her glass and smirking at Vegeta, who gave him a bored look for his effort. Midnite downed the last of her drink and put the glass down just before Clyde put his arm around her waist, causing Vegeta's grip to tighten on his glass, almost to the breaking point. "I Know you from somewhere, ah, that's right, you're Vegeta Briefs, of Capsule Corp. I knew I recognized you. I'm Clyde Basil, I own this place." He grinned when Vegeta's only response was to nod. "Well, Vegeta, you're in for a real treat tonight, you'll get to see Kitty here at her best"

With that Clyde pulled Midnite hastily through the crowd and backstage to change quickly while he walked onto the stage, where the song had just ended.

"Hey everybody! We got a special surprise performance for you tonight, and many of you regulars, will know just who I'm talking about!" there was a loud convoy of catcalls and whistles and he paused until they settled. "Guys and Girls, here she is, the babe of the hour!"

Midnite slipped the boom mike on as the music started, and revved her bike, riding out onto the stage as the crowd screamed. She reared the bike up, grinning as she thought of the first time she'd done it. She did the usual quick spin, standing the bike to the side, she stood up and did a backward flip, landing in a crouch and tapping out the seconds.

/3…2…1…/

"_The sirens are screaming and the fires are howling_

_Way down in the valley tonight_

_There's a man in the shadows with a gun in his eye_

_And a blade shining oh so bright_

_There's evil in the air and there's thunder in the sky_

_And a killer's on the bloodshot streets_

_And down in the tunnel where the deadly are rising_

_Oh i swear i saw a young boy_

_Down in the gutter_

_He was starting to foam in the heat"_

Midnite grinned into the mike, as the bridge stated and she rose, swirling and swaying with the dancers backing her movements and the band backing her voice, knowing that the room was hanging on the song.

"_Oh baby you're the only thing in this whole world_

_That's pure and good and right_

_And wherever you are and wherever you go_

_There's always gonna be some light_

_But i gotta get out_

_I gotta break it out now_

_Before the final crack of dawn_

_So we gotta make the most of our one night together_

_When it's over you know_

_We'll both be so alone"_

_Like a bat out of hell_

_I'll be gone when the morning comes_

_When the night is over_

_Like a bat out of hell i'll be gone gone gone_

_Like a bat out of hell i'll be gone when the morning comes_

_When the day is done_

_And the sun goes down_

_And the moonlight's shining through_

_Then like a sinner before the gates of heaven_

_I'll come crawling on back to you_

Vegeta had forgotten that breathing was necessary from the moment Midnite had ridden out on the back of the black and silver bike, wearing a black leather corset top and silk shorts with a thick studded belt. Her hair all down and hanging around her shoulders in dark waves and her make-up darkened. He watched, transfixed as she danced and sang, her voice every bit as bewitching as her movements. Her movements were graceful and seductive, and her muscles rippled like a snakes in the multi-coloured stage lights.

_I'm gonna hit the highway like a battering ram_

_On a silver black phantom bike_

_When the metal is hot and the engine is hungry_

_And we're all about to see the light_

_Nothing ever grows in this rotten old hole_

_And everything is stunted and lost_

_And nothing really rocks_

_And nothing really rolls_

_And nothing's ever worth the cost_

_And i know that i'm damned if i never get out_

_And maybe i'm damned if i do_

_But with any other beat i got left in my heart_

_You know i'd rather be damned with you_

_If i gotta be damned you know i wanna be damned_

_Dancing through the night with you_

_If i gotta be damned you know i wanna be damned_

_Gotta be damned you know i wanna be damned_

_If gotta be damned you know i wanna be damned_

_Dancing through the night_

_Dancing through the night_

_Dancing through the night with you_

"Come on everybody, you know what to do!" Midnite yelled into the mike and the guys in the crowd joined her for the next two lines of the song, pulling their partners onto the dancefloor.

"_Oh baby you're the only thing in this whole world_

_That's pure and good and right_

_And wherever you are and wherever you go_

_There's always gonna be some light_

_But i gotta get out" _Midnite continued, her voice clear and strong over the music.

"_I gotta break it out now_

_Before the final crack of dawn_

_So we gotta make the most of our one night together_

_When it's over you know_

_We'll both be so alone_

Vegeta growled as the two male dancers split from their partners to move around Midnite, running their hands up her sides, moving close enough to grind against her.

_Like a bat out of hell_

_I'll be gone when the morning comes_

_When the night is over_

_Like a bat out of hell i'll be gone_

At this point one of the men picked her up in his arms, his hands placed perfectly under her ass, and she arched back with each repetition of the word gone. He carried her over to her bike and placed her on the seat, moving away far too slow for Vegeta's liking.

_Like a bat out of hell i'll be gone when the morning comes_

_But when the day is done_

_She sank back till she was almost Lying on the bike._

_And the sun goes down_

_She lifted her right leg provocatively over the front of the bike._

_And the moonlight's shining through_

_Then like a sinner before the gates of heaven_

_She slowly lifted off the bike and into a sitting position_

_I'll come crawling on back to you_

_Midnite looked directly at Vegeta as the music disappeared and she repeated the last verse, leaning seductively over the front of the bike, the view sending a flood of heat straight downwards as he watched her, unmoving, unbreathing, unthinking. _

_Then like a sinner before the gates of heaven_

_I'll come crawling on back to you_

Midnite snapped back up, pumping the throttle on her bike and doing a turn on her bike, rearing up again as she rode offstage. Only when she was parked safely backstage did she collapse forward, panting and blushing furiously at how Vegeta had looked at her and knowing that she had been looking at him in the exact same manner.

"Good God Kitty!" Misha, one of the dancing girls walked in, carrying a tall glass in one hand, her face an astonished yet knowing grin. "Who the fuck were YOU thinking of tonight?" Midnite blushed, taking the drink from her and gulping down half of it in one swig, hissing as it seared her throat.

"Kami, how much did Sean put in here, half the bottle?" Misha laughed.

"Close enough. He said you'd need it if the guy you were with was half as uptight as he seemed."

"What's that s'posed to mean?" Midnite asked hotly.

"Oh come on, He looks like someone shoved a pineapple up his ass."

"He does not. He's just quiet. Lay off him, you don't know him." Misha's eyes widened at the angry flush that coloured Midnite's cheeks.

"Oh my god. You dig him!" she accused. Midnite turned away, and growled,

"You're smoking something."

"And you're lying. You are totally int-" Midnite felt Vegeta's Ki suddenly appear behind her and in a flash had whipped around to cover Misha's mouth with a hand.

"If you finish that sentence I will Murder you." She growled softly in Misha's ear and stepped back just as Vegeta stepped out of the shadows behind her.

Vegeta had been watching the whole time from the shadows, his Ki lowered. He had walked in earlier, after the girl with the drink, intent on demanding Midnite to answer some questions of his when he's heard them talking, he'd lowered his Ki and slipped into the shadows, listening to their conversation and drinking in everything about them.

So, the brat 'dig'ed him? But what on earth did that mean to these crazy humans? He stepped forward lazily, raising his Ki as if he'd IT'd there.

Misha looked between the two, grinning like a idiot, and just stepped forward.

"Hi, I'm Misha. You must be Vegeta?" he briefly shook her extended hand, having learnt to do so from Bulma, and nodded. "Nice to meet you. You're way fit, you know."

Vegeta looked at her as if she were nuts. "Of course. I train daily." Misha looked confusedly at Midnite who was busy wishing the earth would just swallow her. she was mercifully saved from answering by Brian, the dancer that had carried her onto her bike earlier jogging backstage.

"Kitty, Darling, you were Gorgeous up there, only one problem." He said, kissing her on both cheeks. Vegeta's fist clenched, a fact that didn't go unnoticed by Misha, who winked at him and murmured in his ear.

"Don't stress, Brian has a boyfriend, and even if he didn't, our little kitten would shred him with those claws of hers if he made a pass at her."

"Oh no. they want an encore?" midnite asked with a sigh. Brian nodded.

"yup, but not just any encore. Clyde wants Hero." Midnite gulped, her eyes flicking to Vegeta, and nodded. /Dende, what did I ever do to you to deserve this?/ she asked silently looking skyward. She then shrugged and smiled at Brian. No use getting worked up over it. She thought as she walked onto stage., picking up her boom mike on the way and slipping it back on.

"I here Y'all wanna hear another song?" and the crowd immediately screamed for the chosen song. She walked over to the band and the music started.

_Where have all good men gone_

_And where are all the gods?_

_Where's the street-wise Hercules_

_To fight the rising odds?_

_Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?_

_Late at night I toss and I turn and I dream of what I need_

_(Chorus)_

_I need a hero_

_I'm holding out for a hero till the end of the night_

_He's gotta be strong_

_And he's gotta be fast_

_And he's gotta be fresh from the fight_

_I need a hero_

_I'm holding out for a hero till the morning light_

_He's gotta be sure_

_And it's gotta be soon_

_And he's gotta be larger than life larger than life_

Midnite glanced to the side and saw Vegeta watching her from the shadows and she felt herself blush as her eyes flicked over him of their own accord. She shook herself mentally and carried on with the performance.

_Somewhere after midnight_

_In my wildest fantasy_

_Somewhere just beyond my reach_

_There's someone reaching back for me_

_Racing on the thunder and rising with the heat_

_It's gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet_

_I'm holding out for a hero till the end of the night_

_He's gotta be strong_

_And he's gotta be fast_

_And he's gotta be fresh from the fight_

_I need a hero_

_I'm holding out for a hero till the morning light_

_He's gotta be sure_

_And it's gotta be soon_

_And he's gotta be larger than life_

_I need a hero_

_I'm holding out for a hero till the end of the night_

_Up where the mountains meet the heavens above_

_Out where the lightning splits the sea_

Midnite locked gazes with Vegeta as she sang.

_I could swear that there's someone somewhere_

_Watching me_

_Through the wind and the chill and the rain_

_And the storm and the flood_

_I can feel his approach_

_Like a fire in my blood_

She blushed and looked back at the crowd, determined not to look at him again as she finished the song.

_I'm holding out for a hero till the end of the night_

_He's gotta be strong_

_And he's gotta be fast_

_And he's gotta be fresh from the fight_

_I need a hero_

_I'm holding out for a hero till the morning light_

_He's gotta be sure_

_And it's gotta be soon_

_And he's gotta be larger than life_

_I'm holding out for a hero till the end of the night_

_He's gotta be strong_

_And he's gotta be fast_

_And he's gotta be fresh from the fight_

_I need a hero_

_I'm holding out for a hero till the morning light_

_He's gotta be sure_

_And it's gotta be soon_

_And he's gotta be larger than life_

_I Need A Hero. _

Midnite raised her arms as she dragged out the last note and dropped into a bow as she abruptly cut it, the band, who had been watching her for the cue, cut in perfect unison with her as if they had rehearsed it a million times. She rose and smiled to the crowd, switching off her mike as she walked over to Clyde.

"Get Tammy to bring my baby out front please, it's midnight, and Cinderella's time is up." She frowned, and in a hushed voice added, "And I'd appreciate it if you kept Vegeta busy while I leave."

She handed him her mike and turned back to the crowd. "Catch me boys!" she yelled and did a running jump off the stage, landing in the middle of the crowd, caught by a group of men who lowered her gently to her feet, not without letting her slide through their hands first though. Midnite took one last look at the corner Vegeta was in, a sad smile crossing her face as she turned away again and slithered for the door, but not before catching the bottle of Vodka Sean threw at her. He smiled, knowing that she'd pay him back for it the next time she saw him.

When she got outside she dropped her Ki and walked over to Tammy who was standing next to her bike. Midnite took the keys from her and thanked her forbringing it out for her.

"No problem Kit, but seriously, I dunno why you running away from that briefs guy, he's hot."Midnite just smiled at her.

"So how did Clyde keep him busy?" she asked. And tammy grinned evilly.

"He 'accidentally' let slip to the ladies that he he was a candidate for the world tournament and that he was a legend in the martial arts world. They're all trying to take a piece out of him as we speak. You better scram Kitty." She stepped back as Midnite started the bike and gave it a rev. Midnite nodded to her and hit the gas, shooting out onto the main road and driving off. She stopped at the first open bottle store and bought another bottle of vodka, putting it in the bag next to its partner. Then she was off again. She drove until she came to a deserted strip of road. She stopped, revved the engine, and then gunned the bike to top speed until she was almost flying down the narrow road. When she reached the end of the road she slowed enough to make a u-turn, and then gunned back up the road again and headed home.

When she got there, she parked her bike, sprinted upstairs, grabbed a change of clothes in the form of a black bikini, baggy black jeans and a T-shirt, a hoodie and a pair of sneakers. She threw the lot into a backpack along with a towel and then sprinted into the kitchen, left a short note for whoever got home first that she'd be back later, and sprinted back outside, locking the door behind her.

Taking a running start, Midnite jumped into the air and flew to a deserted beach that was almost an hours drive from the city. Once there she flew to her cave and dropped her backpack to the floor before carefully setting the drink down on a small ledge behind her. she opened one bottle and started drinking.

**XxXxXxX**

**Right thats the end of chapter one for now! PLEASE R+R!!! puppy eyes**


	2. Instinct and Descision

**A/N: lol…. Okay my rabid reviewers… here is the next chapter… the warnings are as follows… language, lemon and Really stupid descisions….and no Rave… no harming MN in any way. Storm, that goes for you too. XD you'll see why later. PLEASE R+R. ::chibi eyes::**

**XxXxX**

Over an hour had past by the time Vegeta was able to leave the club, and boy was he pissed. He It'd home, straight into Trunks' room, where he and Merla were…uh… in bed, and demanded to know where Midnite was. Merla jumped a foot in the air, pulling the sheet up with her.

"What do you mean 'where the fuck is Midnite'? How am I supposed to know, It's not like I keep tabs on her! I'm not her baby-sitter!" she yelled, her temper flaring instantly.

"Well If you'd noticed it's after one, and I cannot sense her Ki at all!" Vegeta yelled back, which caused Merla to blink. She instantly started searching for Midnite's Ki, and when she didn't find it, frowned and called to her.

/Go'ay./ Merla flinched. Even Midnite's Mental voice was slurred slightly. Merla growled and connected their minds. Midnite's eyes were closed, but she could hear the roar of waves, feel the sand under her and smell the salt in the air. She broke the connection and turned to Vegeta.

"She's fine, she's just drunk."

"Where is she?" he asked, only mildly relieved. Being drunk was not good for the body.

"I don't know," Merla said, dismissing him and crawling back into bed with Trunks. "Try searching the beach." When Vegeta just left she turned to Trunks and smiled. "It's about bloody time. By the way, your dad is going to have a serious hangover in the morning if he's going after Midnite. Coz if I know her she'll have a whole lot of alcohol with her."

"So you do know where she's gone?"

"Not exactly, but I know the general area, it's a beach a way from here. She usually goes there to drink, and never comes home hurt."

"okay then."

xXx

Even through the haze of alcohol, Midnite sensed Vegeta coming, due to Merla's connection which caused her to sober up faster than she would have liked. She looked at the Vodka. Damnit, she'd already had half a bottle, but it was nowhere near enough to make her seriously drunk. She looked down at herself, she was covered in wet sand and its of seaweed that had been washed in on earlier tides.

"If I'm expecting company, I s'pose I better clean up." She muttered darkly, moving unsteadily to her feet. Midnite cursed as she stumbled to her bag and changed into her bikini. It was a good thing that Vegeta seemed to be flying really slowly, she thought, as if he were taking his time, enjoying the flight… she chuckled aloud at the ridiculous thought. She looked around at her cave, it was so beautiful… It was set into a sea cliff, the main base of the cave was underwater, but about ten meters in the sand sloped up to form a beach.

The beach led to sloping shelves of soft sedimentary rock. But the best features of this beautiful cave were it's blowhole, a hole in the roof of the cave caused centuries ago that allowed the moon to shine in and light the cave with it's wintry glow, and a small network of tunnels caused by a underground stream.

She had noticed the stream that bled into the pool one day, having previously assumed that it was just the seawater running around the beach, and decided to follow it and see what happened… what she found at the end of the tunnels was a mini waterfall, almost like a giant rockery feature. It fell out if the rocks, into a series of small splash pools before falling the last few feet into a largish pool of pure fresh water.

Midnite spread her wings and swooped over the small waves before dropping into them and swimming out of the cave. She swam until she felt that she was clean and sober enough to face Vegeta, and then swam down and then up again, diving out of the water like a dolphin and spreading her wings out. She labored into the air, beating the water off of her wings, and then flying became easier again and she shot up into the air. What she didn't realise was that with her sobering, her Ki had risen marginally, but enough to be traceable, and as she flew up, Vegeta picked up speed.

Midnite rose into the air until she couldn't breathe properly and was half frozen by the cold air, and then she curled her wings around herself and simply dropped, clearing her mind of everything but the feel of air rushing through her hair and ruffling her feathers. She had done this so many times that she knew by sheer muscle memory how long it would take for her to reach the waves below.

Vegeta paused when her knew he was within sight of where Midnite's Ki was, and looked around. When he spotted the motionless figure hurtling towards the sea he felt the blood run cold in his veins. His heart ached as it labored to pump the frozen blood through his veins, and he watched the figure fall for a full second before Instant Transmitting himself directly underneath Midnite and catching her, holding her tight against him.

Midnite froze in confusion for a second before exploding into action.

"WHAT THE FU-?" She froze. She'd managed to catch the person off guard and claw her way free, hissing furiously till she saw who was standing less than a foot away. "Vegeta? What's wrong?"

Vegeta appeared to have been turned into stone. He simply hung in midair, staring at Midnite as if she was a ghost, the only movement was his eyes, which scanned her body anxiously.

It took her slightly fuzzy brain a little longer than usual to kick in, but when it did she gasped. Vegeta had seen her falling, and thought she was injured. But… oh, her Ki level was still lowered… so he thought…

"Oh gods, I'm sorry, I didn't realise… I…" she trailed off as Vegeta's eyes widened fractionally. Gods they were magnificent, she thought wistfully, liquid obsidian that you could drown in. She flushed as she caught up with her thoughts. Bad brain. She dipped her head forward and caught a strand of curly hair between her fingers, fiddling with it nervously.

Vegeta searched every inch of her body for injury, relief flooding through him when he saw that she was perfectly healthy. When she apologised he was shocked. She never apologised. Her head tilted slightly and then she blushed, heat flooding into her cheeks. It was a contrast to how pale and cold she'd been when he caught her, her skin like ice against his as he held her in his arms. His gaze traveled downward, finally taking in what she was wearing, and a shiver passed through him as his blood changed courses in his veins.

Midnite felt Vegeta watching her, and when she couldn't handle it anymore she lifted her eyes to his face, his expression sending a flush of heat through her and making her stomach do somersaults.

"Vegeta…" all thoughts but one fled from her mind as his eyes locked with hers, the heat in his gaze searing. Run. She gulped, folding her wings in and diving down towards land and sprinting into the trees.

Vegeta looked up at the full moon that had just come out from behind a cloud bank and smirked. The hunt had begun. He waited a moment before following.

Midnite didn't know why she ran, she just knew that she must. She ran through the trees, straight to the small clearing where the blowhole was. She dropped through it and opened her wings, gliding to the beach and running into the shadows. She stood with her back against the cave wall, watching the blowhole for a few moments before her brain kicked in. she could just take her stuff and IT home. She waited a moment more, her heart pounding in her ears, before darting to her bag and starting to pack her stuff with trembling hands.

Vegeta followed Midnite's scent swiftly and silently through the trees till her came to the hole in the rocks. He knelt down and looked in to see Midnite darting to her bag and start collecting her stuff. He waited for her to stand and then IT'd directly behind her, pinning her hands behind her.

Midnite froze for a split second before struggling to free herself from Vegeta's grasp, but her attempts were futile, and eventually she slumped against him, but immediately bolted upright again, eyes wide.

Vegeta laughed at her reaction and purred roughly in her ear.

"What's wrong, cat got your tongue?"

Midnite turned her face to his in surprise, but it was a mistake. A fatal one. Their faces were millimeters apart, and Vegeta immediately closed the gap to seal her mouth with his. Midnite melted instantly against him like butter in a fryingpan. And his grip loosened, allowing her to turn completely, her arms coming up to twine themselves around his neck as his arms crept around her waist to drag her closer. Midnite smirked against his lips and rolled her hips against his, wringing a growl from the prince's throat.

Vegeta pushed her to the soft sand and was on her in an instant, his hands running up her sides and causing her to shiver in excitement. But Midnite's hands weren't idle either, they pulled at Vegeta's shirt, undoing the buttons they could, and ripping the ones they couldn't she pushed the shirt from his shoulders and kissed the exposed skin, tracing any scars with her tongue.

She sought Vegeta's mouth for another searing kiss, and at the same time hooked one leg over his, and rolled them so that she was straddling him, before moving down to lave at his chest and , smirking she took a nipple into her mouth, nipping lightly and then soothing it with her tongue, the treatment wringing a moan from the princes throat. Her hands shook slightly as she undid his Jeans. She blinked in surprise, and then smiled. She should have known he'd go commando.

Vegeta flipped them over again, wriggling out of his jeans in record time, while Midnite did the same with her bikini. Vegeta knelt for a moment and just looked at her before covering her body with his, he looked at her face for any doubts, and when he found none, he leant down and kissed her, thrusting into her at the same time. Midnite keened at the sharp burning feeling that she felt, and arched against Vegeta, pulling him deeper into her.

Vegeta stilled for a moment, then pulled out and thrust back in. They found a rhythm quickly, and after a few minutes picked up the pace until Vegeta was almost worried she'd break something, but Midnite was beyond thought as Vegeta brought her to the edge and over it. Vegeta felt himself nearing climax and leaned forward, first kissing Midnite, and then sliding his lips down to the space between neck and shoulder, sinking his teeth in. The salty sweetness of her blood sent him over the edge, and Vegeta roared his climax. Midnite returned the favour, her teeth sinking into his flesh and the taste of his blood causing her to moan in pleasure as she felt him filling her.

Vegeta collapsed until his pulse returned to normal and then shifted, pulling out. It was then that he noticed something strange.

"You're bleeding…" he looked at Midnite in worry. Midnite smiled tiredly at him.

"It's nothing to worry about. I'll live." She got up slowly, and waded into the water, clenching her teeth as the salt stung. Vegeta washed himself as well, and they both dressed.

Midnite walked back to her pack and retrieved the two bottles from her bag, handing Vegeta the full bottle and taking a swig from her own bottle.

Vegeta open the bottle and drank a bit, then turned back to her with a frown.

"What were you doing in that club?" He asked, Growling low in his throat when Midnite merely shrugged. She glanced at him, swallowed, and then chose her words carefully.

"I sing there a few times a week as a favour to Clyde, the owner." Midnite knew that she was lying. She had in fact started at the club as purely a patron, going there every night, and leaving with a different guy every morning, always the same type. Her targets chosen with care and deliberation. She had started the trend after seeing a guy almost beat a girl to death in a alley a few blocks away, now, she chose her targets, the lowest, the drunkards, and she took her anger and her own pent-up frustrations out on them. Until one night one of them had actually remembered her in the morning and come after her in the club. Clyde had seen the guy pull his gun out before she had, and had called out to her. Midnite had then swung around and had kicked the gun out of his hand, but not in time to stop him firing. Midnite fingered the scar under her ribs on her left side. It was a long thin line, the bullet had scraped her side, fortunately the guy hadn't been a good shot.

Midnite had twisted to kick the mans legs from under him, tearing the wound further, but she had managed to pin him to the ground, waiting for the bouncer to reach herm while the crowd screamed.

Clyde had taken her into her office, and tended her wounds when she'd refused to go to a doctor. She had laughed at his face as she'd downed half a bottle of vodka and then poured some on the wound and, using a needle and some gut from the medical box, had stitched the relatively small wound herself.

She knew that she could have gone to Dende for Senzu, but then Uni would've found out and told Merla and everyone would've panicked, and she really didn't want the gang knowing about her nocturnal outings.

So Midnite had stuck it out and then when Clyde had offered to pay her to work as a dancer a few nights a week she'd agreed. That lasted about a month, until he heard her singing along with the band one night, and from then on they had worked the performance. She'd done various rock and roll songs, but the crowd always seemed to love Bat Out Of Hell and Hero.

Vegeta saw that Midnite wasn't telling him everything, but for once chose not to comment and changed the subject instead. They spoke for the rest of the night, until Midnite , unable to stay awake any longer, simply leaned against Vegeta's shoulder and went to sleep. Vegeta followed soon after, leaning back in the sand so that they were both lying down.

Midnite woke just before dawn, and blinked as she felt Vegeta's warm arms around her. She almost drifted back to sleep but as she moved to snuggle against him pain flared in her shoulder and her eyes widened in panic as she remembered that they'd bitten each other.

/oh fucking Kami/ her brain screamed as it processed the information. She knew enough about the saiyan customs to realise the significance of the bite. As her mind whirred she slowly became aware of a sound that was not the pounding of her heart in her ears and she willed herself calm as Vegeta muttered in his sleep behind her. She could feel his worry and his concern as he shifted against her. /I have to get outta here…/ she thought worriedly… the instinct to flee overpowering her will to stay.

Midnite slipped from the prince's embrace carefully and grabbed her bag, swinging it over her shoulder lifting two fingers to her forehead in determination, the only emotion showing in the tears that fell on the soft sand even as she vanished.

XxXxX

THE END!

nah, just kidding. XD


	3. Death Wish

A/N: Heh… Hi guys::waves sheepishly:: it's been quite a while since I last updated, but I was kinda lacking in inspiration for a while, and then my life was put through a meat grinder, but I am (hopefully) back and will try and update again soon!

XxXxX

Midnite dropped her keys onto the counter with a sigh and pulled off the long scarf that was compulsory in the village that she was staying in. She sank against the door, her head pounding with the effort of standing at all as she cradled it in her hands. It had been weeks since the incident at the cave and she'd been getting weaker and weaker each day. She had fled here to the home of an old friend and had stayed with their family.

She knew that everyone had wondered when she'd just sent out a short message to the flock (I'm going away for a while, bye) Storm had been furious… hounding her with questions, Raven had merely accepted it, although her mind had been full of curiosity, Merla had been frightened, and Uni had lectured her about it, but when Vegeta had woken up, they'd all known what had happened. Midnite had felt his anger from halfway across the world, so she had no doubt that the others had heard it loud and clear.

Midnite groaned as the wave of pain spiked behind her eyes, her vision clouding as she slid down the door then slowly bleeding into darkness.

xXx

Marai watched Vegeta worriedly as the prince went pale, pain radiating from him in waves.

"Why?" the prince asked in a tight voice as he labored to breathe normally. Marai shook his head in sympathy for what felt like the millionth time that day, let alone the weeks before. He knew what Vegeta was asking time and again…Why had she run, why was she fighting the bond, why was she putting them both through this agony… but most of all why had she left HIM.

Marai had found out first hand how powerful saiyan mating bonds were when he and Merla had bonded. And he wasn't even a pure blood saiyan, not to mention the fact that Merla had not shut him out like Midnite had done to Vegeta. She may not know it, but by shutting out the prince's mind she was effectively trying to sever the bond, and this was incredibly painful for the both of them, and the longer she shut him out the worse it would become until the bond either tore or one or both of them died

Vegeta's first reaction had been fury at Midnite, had borne the pain stoically at first, his pride and pain at her rejection fuelling him, but as the bond had started to strain he had tried to call out to her, but only her only response was silence.

Vegeta moved to a window as the pain subsided and looked out. /why?/ he called out silently.

xXx

Midnite woke up in bed, sunlight streaming through the window. She looked to the left to see two worried pairs of eyes peering at her over the edge of the bed.

"You fainted again." Came the smooth voice from the doorway, and Midnite looked up to see a dark figure leaning against the doorframe. Imardin was well over six foot with long rasta style hair and dark skin. His huge bulk made her think of Yaut'ja experiments. "Kryssa, Dannyl, your mother is looking for you." The two children pouted but left the room without comment. When Imardin was sure they wouldn't hear he moved to sit on the edge of the bed.

"How long was I out?" Midnite asked nervously, her face pale and drawn.

"Most of the day I presume." Imardin gazed at her levelly and Midnite swallowed. "This is the third time this week I've come home to find you unconscious. I told you when you arrived that I would not question your decision for secrecy, but I am worried about you. You've lost weight, you're pale and weak, and I know that it has something to do with whatever you're running from."

Midnite opened her mouth, but before the denial could pass her lips another wave of pain hit her and she clenched her jaw, sparks flying behind her eyes.

/why?/ Midnite jumped at the familiar voice sounding so weak and tormented. "Ve…" she stopped herself, her eyes widening with surprise, and looked at Imardin who was regarding her thoughtfully.

"Midnite… please talk to me… It has been weeks now, and you are only getting worse. I don't think you will be able to run forever." Midnite regarded her old friend with a frown, her mind still buzzing from the last wave of pain, and sighed, pushing herself into a sitting position. She took a deep breath, then let it out slowly… Imardin was right… she needed to talk to someone that had no part of her other life, as she now called it, and she did need advice… desperately.

"You might want to sit down for this Imar, I'll tell you as much as I can, but you have to bear with me… and no judging." She smiled at his mock-hurt expression, but sobered quickly. "You and your family know that I am not normal, I have told you that my friends and I were part of an experiment and that we escaped… but what I haven't told you is that we each have abilities, and that our power levels are much higher than those of a normal person…" Midnite noted her friend's small frown and paused.

"You're speaking of the ability to control Anakra?" Midnite blinked at him and he smiled at her expression. "I may have studied in a university my friend, but I do know the old ways of my people. Anakra flows through everything on earth, living and not. In my people the elders of long ago had developed the gift of being able to control and manipulate this energy and they became very powerful. But as usually happens with those in power, they became greedy and destroyed each other… and over time there were none left to pass it on and the art was lost, though most of my people still have the ability to sense the life forces of others." Midnite nodded, processing the information.

"okay… well, my sisters and I call it Ki and we learnt that we could control our.. Anakra, but more importantly, we found others that were much more skilled than us, but we discovered that they were not human. They are of a race called Saiyans, a proud warrior race that was brought to the brink of extinction by a Tyrant known as Frieza. As we grew to learn about them, we learnt that Saiyans are very powerful and that they have strange cultures and abilities, one of the things I was interested in was what they call Bonding."

Midnite blushed, not knowing how to explain about her bond without giving away more than she had to. "I discovered that two Saiyans can form a telepathic bond by biting each other in the neck. But once the bond is initiated, it is there for life, their minds are permanently linked."

Imardin searched her face, noting the blush on her cheeks. He had wondered about the scar on her neck.

"I won't ask who you are bonded with, though I'm dying of curiosity, but I will ask you something else… Why are you running from something you can't escape, and from what you told me, the bond has to be mutual…so what changed your mind?"

Midnite gaped at her friend, then gulped. Those were not questions she wanted to look very deeply into. She didn't know why she had bitten Vegeta, knowing that it was more than just a simple bite. Heat filled her cheeks at the memory.

"I-I don't…" Imardin stopped her by raising his hand.

"Don't answer now… I see that you need time to think on it, and I have a hunch that that is what your problem is… you didn't have time to consider the consequences of your decisions, so you fled. But, my friend, what are the consequences of running? From what I've seen, you seem to be running out of time… and I worry about what will happen when your time is up." Imardin rose and walked to the door, leaving Midnite to her thoughts.

What am I really doing? Midnite asked herself. Imar is right, I panicked when I realized what Vegeta and I had done. I'd made a instinctual decision, and when it was over I freaked. What if it was a mistake? What if we'd woken up later and been horrified by the fact that … what if he'd… Midnite stopped chasing her mind around in circles and closed her eyes, slowing her breathing and going into a meditative state. Almost instantly she found herself sitting cross-legged in the middle of a dark room. Focusing on her emotions, she forced the room to lighten until she could see clearly.

The room was square, with midnight walls and dark red carpet, it had one large door of dark mahogany directly in front of her. This was the main door to her mind. There were four other doors in her mind. The one on her left was black, and seemed to be made of obsidian rather than wood. The one to her right was covered by a silvery curtain that caught the light and seemed to glow. Turning around, Midnite looked at the last two doors and smirked. They were barely doors at all, made of twisting shadow that absorbed all light. These were the doors to her 'libraries' as she had termed them. Behind these doors were two vast rooms filled with all her memories and secrets, stored in the form of books. Her face fell as she thought of the things that lay hidden behind those doors. Things that no-one knew. Things that she'd kept buried for so long. Things that Vegeta would have access to if she allowed him in. Not even Merla and Uni could find their way into this room, not without her allowing them, but Vegeta, being her mate, would have complete access to everything she had fought so hard to keep a secret.

Midnite turned away from those two doors and walked instead to the black one. This was the door to her bond with Vegeta. All she had to do was open it and let down the barrier that prevented him from simply breaking through it. Midnite put her hand to the wood, feeling the heat of anger and confusion she quickly withdrew it again and turned away to the silvery curtain. As she pushed it aside it tinkled softly like a wind chime in the breeze.

The room itself was an optical illusion, seeming to stretch for all eternity and at the same time looking almost two dimensional in it's smallness. Hovering in the middle of the room was a twisting mass of light and shadow, glowing faintly with the eerie light of something deep underwater, although this light was more the colour of port. Deep garnet with a touch of violet. It rippled and ebbed, throbbing with the rhythm of her heartbeat. This was her power, her life force, visualized in her mind, something that she could draw on or hide when the need arose.

Watching the play of light and shadow, Midnite noticed that it was dimmer than it should have been, even with her Ki suppressed as it was, to almost below that of normal human. Trying not to think of what it could mean, shrugged it off and closed the curtain again,

Walking back to the centre of the room and closing her eyes, Midnite didn't see the obsidian door pulse and bulge slightly before settling back to normal.

XxXxX

Tucking her scarf to cover her face Midnite left Imardin's house and made her way through the throng of people on the streets to the small port that held a few fishing boats. Stopping at the Market, Midnite bought a few fruits and a canteen of the local juice, made of a mixture of tropical fruits and spiced to give it a strange but wonderful taste. Greeting a few friends, Midnite put her buys in a canvas shoulder satchel and made her way to a path that led up to the sea cliffs. The cliffs were about an hours walk from the village and although they were only a few hundred feet high, the view from the top was amazing. Once at the top of the cliffs, Midnite found a ledge of rock and sat on the edge, swinging her feet over and leaving them to dangle in the air as she watched the fishing boats out at see and the people walking along the beach, collecting shells to adorn scarves, bags, clothes and to be turned into jewelry. Midnite took her lunch out of her bag and sipped from the canteen, allowing her thoughts to drift. It had been two days since she had spoken to Imardin, and she had yet to give him an answer. Her headaches had grown to a continuous throb of pain, leaving her tired most of the time, yet unable to sleep properly.

As Midnite watched the waves breaking on the beach below her, the throbbing in her head increased, and with it, Midnite's temper. She was sick of this! She was sick of being in constant indescision, she was sick of hearing Vegeta's alternately angry and pleading voice in her head. She hated it that someone else determined her fate. She hated not being in control. She didn't want this bond if it was going to take away her freedom. Midnite rose to her feet, centimeters from the edge of the cliff and glared defiantly at the horizon. She'd rather die!

The pain hit. It blindsided her, leaving her without the ability to think or breath as the air rushed out of her lungs, and the canteen fell from her limp fingers to the beach below. Time seemed to slow as wave after wave of pain hit, seeming to tear through her flesh as well as her mind and Midnite couldn't help it, she screamed both mentally and physically before her mind and body shut down and she swayed on her feet before plummeting to the beach below.

xXx

In the Gravity Room where he was sparring with Trunks, Vegeta suddenly froze, unable to dodge the fist aimed at his head Vegeta felt it connect and send him flying into the wall of the GR, before his world went black, a scream that was not his own, reverberating in his head.

xXx

At the Hideout, Merla suddenly bolted upright as Midnite's mental scream seemed to tear at her mind and the entire gang felt her Ki flare suddenly before plummeting into almost non-existance.

Seconds after Midnite's scream cut off, Uni and Storm appeared in the room.

"What the Hell was that?" Storm asked worriedly looking between Merla Uni.

Merla's head whipped around as Trunks suddenly appeared beside her, carrying an unconscious Vegeta. A terrified glance at his equally scared face told Merla all she needed to know.

"We have to find her. Fast." Marai said urgently, and Merla nodded.

Uni, you go with Trunks to the Lookout, tell Dende we'll be bringing Midnite up." At Uni's nod Merla turned to Storm, who was already focusing, trying to find any trace of her friend. After a few moments Storm gasped.

"I think I found her." She gripped Merla's arm and IT'd them out of the room.

They found themselves on a beach, standing in the shadows of a sea cliff. Suddenly, a tall man rushed past them, dreads, flaring behind him as he bolted towards a patch of rocks where a woman was crouching, her head just visible over the rocks.

"Imar! She's still breathing!"

Storm and Merla raced after the man, their hearts pounding. Scrambling over the rocks, Merla let out a sob as she saw Midnite lying on her back in a small crater, just a couple of feet from the sharp rocks, her head cradled in the woman's lap.

"Watch her wings, Aria." The man said in a deep Island voice, and Merla turned to look at him. He bent down, lifting Midnite gently and folding her wing carefully. "What were you thinking going up there in your condition, you foolish child?" he asked the unconscious Midnite.

"We need to get her to a healer, fast." Aria said, looking worriedly between, Midnite, Imar and Merla and Storm, who had both rushed forward.

"We can help her." Merla said, "but we need to get her out of here, fast."

Imardin finally looked at Merla and Storm, his hands, which had been examining Midnite's wing for injuries, stilling as he blinked at them.

"Merla and Storm, I take it." He said, recognizing them from Midnite's descriptions. Merla blinked and nodded. "I am friend of Midnite's from-" he cut off sharply and looked at Midnite as her Ki dropped sharply again. Another drop like that and she wouldn't have enough to keep her alive.

"We need to get her to Dende." Storm said urgently and Merla nodded.

"We need to take her, she won't survive if we don't." she told Imardin, who regarded her, then moved away silently, his wife following suit. Merla touched a hand to Midnite's arm and raised two fingers to her forehead, but hesitated.

"Oh, Don't worry. I've seen it before," Imardin assured her, then frowned at Midnite. "She needs her mate. She won't recover until she accepts the bond. She is not strong enough to fight her chosen." Merla gaped at him, then nodded.

"I know." She murmured, and touched her fingers to her forehead. She appeared in the lookout, and Dende immediately rushed to Midnite's side.

"What happened?" the young guardian asked, healing Midnite enough so that they would be able to give her a senzu. "Her Ki is almost nonexistent!"

"I think she fell off a cliff."

"But that shouldn't have harmed her!" Marai said, stepping up behind her.

"It would if her Ki levels were low enough." Piccolo stated.

"Her Ki was barely higher than an average Human when she fell." Merla agreed, looking down at Midnite worriedly. "I've been keeping a mental eye on her health since she disappeared."

"What?!" Uni yelled, shocking the rest of the gang. "Then why the Hell didn't you tell us where she was?!"

"Because, you cannot force a bond! She needed time to sort it out for herself and I trusted that she'd make the right choice in the end."

Piccolo put an arm around Uni to stop her from replying, and her harsh scowl crumbled as she buried her face in her mentor's chest and sobbed.

Dende looked up at Merla after a few minutes of silence.

"She's stable. We should be able to give her a senzu now." Trunks nodded and held out a senzu to Merla, who took it and gently fed it to Midnite, begging her silently to please come back to them.

XxXxX

Well, there ya go, another chapter up. what do you think?  
please R R!!


	4. Bad Ideas and Explinations

**A/N: Yes yes… it's late, I know… I kinda realized that when I was bashing my head in against the huge wall between me and the plot. XD I eventually  
(no idea why I didn't think of it sooner whistles) decided to just rewrite the whole damn chapter. And so, in case by some miracle anyone is still actually reading this story… on with the show…**

**XxXxX**

Vegeta was the first to wake. His mind felt foggy and as soon as he tried to move a dull ache crept in behind his eyes so instead he lay back and tried to figure out where he was. As he took slow stock of his senses, the pain bled away again, allowing him to think clearly. He sniffed the air slightly and instantly recognized Dende and Piccolo. As they appeared to be the strongest scents in the room he assumed he was in the lookout. But why? Vegeta cracked his eyes open and flinched as the light made them water. He allowed himself a moment to adjust to the light before opening them fully and turning his head. Standing a foot away from the bed were the two Nameks, their backs to him. Vegeta looked past them to the bed that was less than three feet away and felt his breath freeze in his lungs. Lying on the bed was his mate. Vegeta faltered for a moment on the use of the word Mate before dismissing it. More important was the fact that his mate looked like she was a breath away from the otherworld.

Midnite was as pale as the soft white sheets she was lying in. Why whenever a person was ill were the blasted sheets always white? It only made them look paler. Vegeta grunted and tried to rise to get a better view of his mate, but a large green hand suddenly appeared on his shoulder.

"I wouldn't try that if I were you, Vegeta." Piccolo's brows were furrowed in a frown, but Vegeta could see the relief in the Namek's eyes, but it was the fear that was behind the relief that sparked worry in Vegeta. Vegeta ignored the hand on his shoulder, as well as the nausea and dizziness that soon made itself known and swung his feet off the side of the bed opposite the two Nameks. The cold tile that greeted his bare skin made him shiver, but he pushed himself into a standing position and took a step away from the bed.

Agony. Sheer agony was the only term remotely sufficient to describe the blinding pain that coursed through Vegeta at that moment. His scream, as well as the echoing scream from the other bed, was drowned out by the cacophony in his mind. It was a thousand birds screeching, a thousand claps of thunder that ricocheted through his mind. Vegeta didn't hear the curse as he crumpled, tears streaming down his face. He didn't feel the arms that plucked him off of the floor and dumped him, not on his own bed, but next to Midnite, who was sitting up, and in much the same predicament as Vegeta, her eyes wide. All he knew was the pain that flared through every nerve in his body.

As soon as he was deposited on the bed, the pair reached blindly for each other. Limbs tangled, Vegeta's tail wrapped around Midnite's waist and Midnite's wings spread to tuck the pair tightly in their warmth as the mates sobbed and heaved for breath.

The door at the end of the room burst open and the entire gang poured in, having arrived in bits over the last week as they learned of the news, and the questions flooded the room, causing Piccolo to clench his teeth. It was common knowledge that Namekian ears were sensitive and yet the blasted humans –hybrids really as the only true human in the room was the islander who, along with his wife and their children, had arrived with Merla a few days before and the only other full blood was Goku- insisted on yelling at full volume. When Dende lightened a few shades and had to lean against the bed, Piccolo felt his temper snap.

"SILENCE!" Piccolo felt a perverse satisfaction when the crowd froze, wide eyed in shock and –blessedly- silent. He felt Kami's disapproval in the back of his mind, as well as Nail's amusement and knew he would be getting a lecture later. "You, you and you stay. The rest of you – Get Out!" When the crowd looked like they might argue, Piccolo took a step forward. "Do I have to throw you out?" He asked menacingly, and the crowd instantly dispersed, leaving a shocked Mirai and Imardin and an amused Merla. It was Merla who stepped forward and placed a hand on Piccolo's arm. "If you say one word I will blast you off the lookout." He growled, but it lacked the heat of his earlier statements.

Merla smiled sympathetically at Piccolo before looking worriedly at the pair on the bed. "How are they?"

"We don't know." It was Dende who spoke up timidly. "Physically they are mostly fine, though at times their temperatures spike and they appear to be burning energy a lot faster than is normal for either race, other than that there is nothing physically wrong. Mentally though… I cannot say." And then there was the fact that they could not move more than three feet from each other.

After Midnite had been given the senzu, they had thought she had stabilized, but her ki had continued to trickle away. They hadn't noticed at first, but Dende had picked up the difference while he examined her when she hadn't stirred after an hour. After that Piccolo had begun giving her Ki boosts until her ki was high enough that she should have woken, and yet, nothing. By the end of the first day they had begun to worry. Even with the transfusions from Piccolo, Midnite's Ki was still dropping, and the rate was increasing slightly each time. When on the second day Vegeta's Ki had begun to drop as well, Dende began to panic. It was Merla who tried putting the two together, moving Vegeta onto Midnite's bed. The reaction was instant. Their Ki instantly leveled out and when Piccolo next gave them a boost, their Ki had stayed up. When the mates' Ki was high enough that had moved Vegeta back into his own bed, but kept the pair within reach of each other. Vegeta had roused briefly, taking Midnite's hand and holding tightly to it before falling into a proper, restful sleep. On the third afternoon, Vegeta had roused partially and tried to get up, resulting in much the same event as had just occurred, minus the screaming. Piccolo had picked the Saiyan Prince up and put him back on his own bed, and yet it hadn't done anything, until the prince had sought out Midnite's hand and clutched at it. They had both fallen instantly still and only Vegeta had stirred since then, murmuring and fussing in his sleep. That was three days ago.

Piccolo turned to look at the wing-enveloped pair on the bed. Their breathing had slowed to a deep, even pace and yet they were so still that if not for the sound of their combined breath they might have been statues.

"It's so strange though." Piccolo glanced back at Mirai as the lavender haired man stepped forward and drew his wife and mate close. "Vegeta-" Mirai had long since stopped thinking of the man as his father. His father had died long ago in his own timeline and from what he had learnt from Merla, the Vegeta before him was vastly different to his own father. "I once asked Vegeta about Mating Bonds, and I remember him warning me that a bonded partner often didn't survive without their mate. I knew that when they fought the bond they were hurting themselves… I just didn't ever think it could do anything like this. It nearly killed them."

"I disagree." Four sets of eyes locked onto Imardin. He had remained so silent they had almost forgotten he was there.

"What do you mean?" Merla laid a hand on Mirai's shoulder to stop him at the sharp tone before repeating the question in a softer tone.

"I may not know everything about your people young demi, yet I think you are looking at this the wrong way. This," he waved a hand at Midnite and Vegeta "is the work of the bond. Do they look as if they are in pain to you?" when they all turned to look at the bed, Imardin huffed. Young ones. "Not with your eyes. Your eyes are young and foolish. Look with your hearts." Mirai and Dende looked at him as if he had lost his mind. Merla frowned for a moment before closing her eyes and probing gently at that little place in her soul that she had labeled 'Midnite'. Piccolo was also frowning with his eyes closed.

-What he says is true.-

Bullshit. That's ridiculous.

-It is not. I did not think to look before, but he is right. At the moment both Midnite and Vegeta are content. Yet when they were separated they seemed to be terrified.-

As Piccolo thought about it, he realized that the human was right. They had only been affected badly when they were parted from each other, but as soon as they touched physically, they quieted.

"You are saying," Piccolo began, "that the only reason they are in this is because they fought the bond they had created?" Imardin sighed.

"Yes, and no. Had they just not acknowledged the bond they would possibly have continued on as normal, but from what I could tell of Midnite's explanation, Vegeta was attempting to open the bond, while Midnite was trying to keep her side locked down, thus causing the bond to fray and cause them both pain. The other day on the cliff, I'm not sure, but I suspect Midnite attempted to sever the bond entirely and it did not go as planned." Imar took a breath, giving them a moment to process what he had told them and weighing how much more he should tell him. Eventually he continued. "A long time ago, my culture used Anakra, what you call Ki. We had a process of bonding our souls together, much like your people mate, we called it Mi'ha Nakar. Once a Mi'ha Nakar bond was formed, it could not be undone, and if not performed correctly could result in death or, in some cases, insanity. The rite was sacred and could only be performed by a High priest for they were the only ones granted the knowledge to perform it. But the rites were banned by a high council at some point after they found that the priests had begun to perform them on those who had wealth but were not worthy. It was said that the bond formed during Mi'ha Nakar was alive, and though I know scientifically that this is not possible, I believe that they were not entirely incorrect. The bond links two souls, and where those souls connect is a merger of both souls. If this merger is technically neither of their souls, then is it not a soul on its own? And if they tried to sever their bond wouldn't this be a threat on the new part of their souls? If your life was at risk, wouldn't you do everything possible to stay alive? I believe that this is exactly what the bond is doing. It is making sure that they cannot live without each other."

By the time Imardin finished talking; four sets of eyes were blinking at him owlishly.

"Well that explains a lot." You could practically hear necks snapping, the group turned their heads so fast. The muffled words had come from the cocoon of feathers on the bed, and slowly the feathers shifted and a pair of violet eyes peered out. A muffled chuckle came next. "Only the five of you? I feel so loved."

"Piccolo kicked the others out." Came Vegeta's voice, also muffled.

"Oh yes, how could I forget. Piccolo looks so scary when he's pissed." Another muffled laugh. "I think the cat got their tongues. Except Imar, he's just standing there laughing."

That got a response.

**XxXxX**

**MN: 2006 words in one night…not bad.**

**Mez: as opposed to 364 words in three months? **

**MN: ahem.. yeah… anyway… **

**Uni: Ever wonder why you only ever get really creative when you're supposed to be learning for exams?**


End file.
